Another high point

After a fun time in Boston, we drove west across the northern part of Massachusetts. This actually turned into a brief adventure when we found roads closed and detours in place. We got to see some Irene-induced road repair in progress - some places were rather hard-hit. We did eventually make it to North Adams and the parking lot for Mount Greylock.

It turned into a beautiful day for a hike. We didn't get rained on, and there was even sunshine at the top.

And we reached the highpoint in another state, yay! We have now reached 1/5 of the US highpoints. Maybe if we settled down in one region and focused for a while, we'd start hitting them with more regularity:

Our US highpoint tally

This one has quite the monument at the top. Along with a road if you want to drive up there...

Mountain relief:


We were (ever so briefly) on the Appalachian Trail, cool!


No one seems to agree on the actual height of Mount Greylock. The mountain itself thinks it is 3,491 feet tall.


Climbing up the tower - hi John!


Typical New England view (when you get one at all, that is - and usually without the building in it):




The lodge, built by the CCC (thank you yet again, CCC!):




I don't expect we'll ever hike the whole thing, but it's fun to follow for short sections:


Someone really should do something about this bridge:


John contemplating the heft of this stick - yep, it's a good vegetation whacker:

We had a fun run downhill, with John (and his stick) moving trail brush out of the way and then running fast past me, repeat. A satisfying end to an excellent weekend.

A Boston adventure

The stars aligned and we got to visit Sheila and Jeff, along with Sheila's sister and her family, in Boston earlier this month. Plus it was a beautiful day, great for some sightseeing.

Sammy and Johnny at Faneuil Hall:


Playing in the fountains to stay cool:


The North End - ah, Italian!


The Old North Church:



Local tour guide:


Hanging out with Paul:


Great taste in bike accessories:


More great taste! (at Mike's Pastry)


Pair of grumpies:


John redirecting water with his mere hand:


Pretty view across the harbor:


The Freedom Trail:


Getting ready to climb the Bunker Hill Monument:


Views from the top:



What were we thinking? :)


Old Ironsides:


A ship in dry dock:


Another pretty harbor view:


John found a minor highpoint to climb...

Thanks for a fun weekend, y'all! Boston's great, can't wait to go back and explore some more.

Catching up - random shots

Hi! I'm back! And trying to keep from getting shut out of September posts... for starters, here are a few photos from random places.

Memories from July:

A couple shots of Irene - from indoors, of course:



Our friend Markus ran from LA to NY this summer! Congratulations! He just made it to Central Park before the hurricane hit, thank goodness. Apparently the city is pretty quiet when most people have evacuated. He and his wife Brandi came to Albany to visit on their way to Toronto.

A little bit of car cleaning:

And finally, here is what John has been up to (literally) lately: